45 Old Insecurities

Wang had gone to an afternoon meeting on the top floor, and she was going home to see Chunhua and have dinner which she tried to do at least once a week now. As her eyes did a final sweep around the office to make sure everything was exactly as it should be, Changying saw the svelte woman striding towards her door and cringed.

"Well, well," Chen said as she leant against the doorframe of Changying's office. "Didn't I underestimate the little research mouse? Who would have thought you would be capable of such underhanded bitchiness."

"What exactly am I supposed to have done?" Changying stood up straighter refusing to be cowed by the statuesque woman. She had not seen her since her promotion to the top floor and for that she was grateful.

"I had an interesting chat with Baozhai today, I know all about you and Wang. I expect it's no co-incidence the day I try to make friends with you; I got moved to another department manager?" She sneered.

"I was as surprised as you were, that with the amount of time you spent gossiping and lunching with friends, I was truly shocked that you were promoted," she shrugged, "Just goes to show you can never tell what goes on in the minds of men."

Chen rose to her full height and stared hard at Changying, "You better watch your back, because you have made enemies of the wrong people. I just came to gloat and take a last look at you because I don't think you will be here much longer." She looked Changying up and down coldly. "At least you have the good sense to let your mother dress you these days but it still doesn't hide the frumpy little fat girl that will never be good enough to mingle with the people that matter." With that, she turned on her heel and marched away.

Changying was shaking, and she collapsed into the chair behind her desk and closed her eyes forcing herself not to cry. Cocooned by Wang's love and the general good will of everyone who worked on the floor now, it had been over a month since Changying had felt her old insecurities overwhelm her as they did now. She considered calling Wang but decided not to rock the boat and gathered her shattered feelings picturing him in her mind, tall, handsome and loving. She smiled, so Chen had talked to Baozhai and found out about their relationship, people had to find out sometime and if she lost her job she would find another. She gathered her bag and left her small office bumping into Louisa.

"I was just coming to see if you were all right, she was pretty loud, I doubt your secret is a secret anymore," she indicated the cubicles behind her.

"Oh, shit! I better tell Wang then; I was just going to let it pass but..." she looked past Louisa to the other people in the office slowly making their way towards the lifts and looking at her furtively, "Shit! Shit! Shit!" she cursed again and for no other reason than the shock of the verbal attack she burst into tears.

"You can't leave like this, let me call Wang," Louisa said softly.

"No, really I am fine, don't disturb his meeting," she gave her friend a crooked smile.

"You're not fine, just sit down for a few minutes at least, besides I sort of already called him," she watched the look of horror appear on Changying's face. "Well, I don't want to lose my job just because Chen wants it back. I am finally getting the hang of everything. I am sorry, that was selfish of me."

"Oh, Louisa I didn't even think of that, am I so self-absorbed these days?" Changying began to cry again.